Love-Teeth Dental Practice Ltd

We carried out this announced inspection on 5 November 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Love-Teeth Dental Practice Ltd is in Prestwich, Manchester and provides private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. A parking space for blue badge holders is available directly outside the practice, with additional on street parking near the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, six dental nurses (one of which assists with practice management and two of which are trainees), a dental hygienist, two dental hygiene therapists, two receptionists and a treatment co-ordinator. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Love-Teeth Dental Practice Ltd is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 47 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and received 18 positive reviews online before the inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, three dental nurses and a receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Sunday 10am to 1pm

Monday 8.30am to 5.30pm

Tuesday 9am to 7pm

Wednesday 8.30am to 5.30pm

Thursday 8.30am to 5.30 pm

Friday 7.30am to 2pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean, tidy and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance. Equipment was not validated appropriately.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider did not have effective systems to help them identify and manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had systems to deal with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Implement protocols for the use of closed-circuit television cameras taking into account the guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office.

• Implement protocols for domiciliary visits taking into account the 2009 guidelines published by British Society for Disability and Oral Health in the document “Guidelines for the Delivery of a Domiciliary Oral Healthcare Service”.